


In the Background

by Book_Mage



Series: Violet Lynx [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Sabrina Raincomprix-centric, She's wrong, Tiger!Sabrina, i just really like sabrina okay, marinette and adrien aren't sure how to approach this whole thing, sabrina assumes adrien and marinette know each others identities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24547135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Book_Mage/pseuds/Book_Mage
Summary: Sabrina was always a background player. As long as she could remember, she hid in the shadow of her so-called friend Chloe, aiding her in her vicious schemes against other.Unbeknownst to most, Sabrina the main planner, not Chloe. After all, being in the background had it's perks. Never being seen by others allowed her to see things others didn't.When Sabrina sees two very big things she shouldn't have, she's finally prompted to take a stand, and gain her own stake in the ongoing conflict against Hawkmoth.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Sabrina Raincomprix, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Sabrina Raincomprix
Series: Violet Lynx [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774114
Comments: 13
Kudos: 64





	In the Background

Sabrina was always in the shadows.

Ever since the beginning of elementary school, when Chloe had stepped up as the queen bee, Sabrina had clung to her side. Over time, she wasn't sure whether it was admiration or fear that kept her there. Chloe's vicious pranks and plans kept Bustier's class a mess, and Sabrina was always afraid of being the next target.

So, she stuck to Chloe's side, and sat in the shadows cast by Chloe's constant spotlight. She preferred it there anyways. Being in the shadows had its perks.

With everyone always focused on Chloe, Sabrina could easily slip into the background, and observe what was going on. Knowing exactly what everyone in the class was doing was pivotal to ensuring Chloe's plans succeeded. With her drab appearance, Sabrina went unnoticed by most until it was too late.

Sabrina had long since accepted this as her role in the class. All she needed to do was be in the right place at the right time to see the right things.

What Sabrina never guessed was how she'd end up one of Paris' heroes by being in the right place at the right time not once, but twice.

The first time it happened was on a gloomy day.

It was thundering outside, sheets of rain covering the glass windows of their classroom. Chloe complained about how her plans were ruined by the weather, and everyone was generally not in the greatest of moods. And there was the fact that Sabrina had a terrible headache.

Sabrina raised her hand. "Mme. Bustier? Can I head to the washroom?"

Mme. Bustier handed her a hall pass, and Sabrina slipped out of the room, rubbing her aching temples. She entered the restroom, and splashed some cold water on her face in an attempt to feel better. When that didn't work, Sabrina slipped into one of the stalls, sitting on the toilet. She pulled out her phone, planning on calling her father to come pick her up when the door suddenly swung open.

Through the small crack of the restroom stall, Sabrina saw Marinette stumble in, her flats slamming against the tile floor. Marinette hurriedly opened her purse, and a huge, red bug flew out. Sabrina covered her mouth, quelling the shriek that threatened to escape her lips.

"Tikki! We've got to hurry!" Marinette whispered frantically. "That akuma's going to destroy the town. Spots on!"

There was a flash of bright red light, and in Marinette place was _Ladybug._

The world beneath Sabrina began spinning. Her head grew light, and the smallest of squeaks escaped her mouth at the sight. Ladybug slipped out of the bathroom, presumably to fight the akuma. Sabrina's phone fell to the floor with a clatter, and Sabrina herself collapsed to her knees.

No, it was probably just some hallucination, she told herself. Marinette Dupain-Cheng couldn't possibly be Ladybug. That was impossible. The spotted heroine couldn't possibly be the girl who Chloe bullied on a regular basis.

Yet, her mind began to rapidly connect the dots, creating a full image. Marinette always ran out of class during akuma attacks. Marinette started running late and leaving class right around the time Ladybug first appeared. Ladybug had black hair and blue eyes, just like Marinette. Marinette had black earrings, similar to the spotted ones Ladybug wore.

Sabrina shakily got to her feet, her legs quivering. Feeling stiff, she stumbled over her own feet, and stared at her pale reflection in the mirror.

"Marinette is Ladybug." she said, the words feeling unnatural in her mouth.

What should she do with this information? Tell someone? Confront Marinette?

Taking a deep breath, Sabrina recalled what investigators did. They collected evidence, then confronted the culprit. Of course, Marinette wasn't as much as a culprit, but rather a hero, but it was the point that mattered.

Sabrina carefully walked back to her class, her heart pounding in her ribcage with every step. She slipped back into the classroom, and sat next to Chloe. Chloe didn't say anything. No one said anything. Sabrina kept her face schooled into one of perfect calm, but her eyes were fixated on the doorway.

Exactly five minutes after the akuma was defeated, Marinette ran back into class, dripping from head to toe. She quickly made up an excuse about going outside to get some fresh air, but Sabrina knew better.

Marinette was Ladybug.

* * *

The second time it happened was at a photoshoot.

Chloe somehow managed to bribe and threaten her way into a modeling job with Adrien, and Sabrina came with her to provide moral support. By moral support, she meant running all over the set, fetching things for Chloe like she was her personal valet. By this point, Sabrina supposed she was.

But a warm feeling was always in her chest, almost a smug feeling at how Sabrina knew something Chloe didn't- the identity of one of Paris' heroes. Sabrina hadn't yet done anything with the situation, as she knew that she'd have to handle it carefully. She didn't want to alienate Marinette, or accidentally expose Ladybug. Both held consequences.

Everything was going well until Chloe got a bit too snippy, and was told off by one of the photographers. When Chloe tried to snap back at him, threatening to call her father, the photographer laughed in her face. From what Sabrina knew, he was from out of town, and thus didn't have to worry about angering the mayor's daughter.

Off to side, Sabrina noticed Adrien, who just looked flat-out tired. Sabrina felt bad for him. Modelling was demanding work, and Adrien's numerous extracurriculars only exacerbated the pressure on him.

Not to mention that Chloe was also screeching very loudly. He probably wanted to be anywhere but here now.

He likely got his wish when both their phones buzzed. Sabrina pulled hers out, already seeing the familiar logo of an akuma alert. Her heart dropped when she saw it was less than a block away from them.

Adrien took off, and on instinct, Sabrina followed. He modeled here often. He probably knew a good place to hide.

Adrien swung right into a broom closet, and Sabrina came to a stop. She quietly took a few steps back, her intuition telling her something was up. She got her answer as to why she felt that moments later.

The broom closet door opened, and Chat Noir, not Adrien dove out. Sabrina gaped.

Chat Noir didn't notice her presence, and he ran off to go fight the akuma. For the second time in two weeks, Sabrina collapsed to her knees, her breaths coming out in short puffs.

Marinette was Ladybug.

Adrien was Chat Noir.

How was she going to handle this?

* * *

It turned out, she handled it by going over surveillance footage.

Her father was careless about leaving his username and password on a sticky-note on his home work computer, so it was simple for Sabrina to slip in during a late night and examine some footage. Her father was a heavy sleeper, and Sabrina didn't plan on getting caught.

Pushing up the rim of her glasses, Sabrina started combing through footage on College Dupont Francoise. There was a disturbing lack of security cameras, and most of them only captured grainy footage. Sabrina was now quite worried about the funding these schools were receiving if their surveillance was this low-tech.

Still, she found some images that supported what she had seen. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir exited Dupont on a regular basis during akuma attacks, and Marinette and Adrien both came back soon after the attacks were over. Sabrina vaguely remembered how a couple months back, Alya discovered that Ladybug used a textbook from their school. It seemed the reporter was right on that one.

Using the information she had, Sabrina could run off the assumption that most of the secondary heroes were others in her class, or at least her grade. Kagami Tsurugi was only holder other than Chloe with an exposed identity, and the former on the same fencing team as Adrien. Sabrina guessed that was why they chose her.

Sabrina had come to the conclusion that Marinette and Adrien must've known each other's identities. They hung out together, and Ladybug and Chat Noir both worked like a well-oiled machine in combat. They must've known who each other were by this point.

She ended up printing out some photos, and stuffed them into a folder she found. She quickly signed off the computer, and made sure to cover up her tracks as she tiptoed off to bed.

* * *

Sabrina continued to gather evidence over the next few weeks, keeping it carefully stored in the manila folder under her bed. She had spent a painstakingly long time of bathroom breaks, trying to catch Marinette in the act again.

Eventually, she succeeded, and captured some footage needed. She did the same with Adrien at one of his modeling gigs. If she wanted to talk to them, she needed solid proof.

Eventually, she had a folder with photos of both their hero and civilian forms, doing comparisons with her red pen. Similar facial structures and colouring, body build... Perhaps it was overkill, but Sabrina liked to be through with her observations. Along with the videos on the USB stick around her neck, Sabrina had everything she needed to set up her plan.

Sitting at her desk, Sabrina grabbed a piece of stationary and a pen. Writing with her non-dominant hand, she wrote out two matching notes to slip into both Marinette and Adrien's desks:

_Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Adrien Agreste me after school in the biology classroom. Come alone. I have something to tell you._

The next day, she came to school early, and placed the notes on their desk. As class began, Sabrina nervously jostled her leg up and down, much to the ire of Chloe.

"Stop that." Chloe snapped.

"Sorry!" Sabrina squeaked.

Sure enough, both Adrien and Marinette read the notes, both their facial expressions becoming confused at the contents of the notes. After stuffing them into their bags, they continued back to their work. Sabrina tapped her foot, looking at the clock every now and then.

Once the end of school came, Sabrina slipped off to the empty biology classroom, and got out her manila file. Soon, both Marinette and Adrien entered the class at the same time, looking thoroughly confused.

"Sabrina?" Marinette said suspiciously. "Were you the one who wrote me the note? Is this some kind of trick by Chloe?"

"No, it isn't!" Sabrina said. "Chloe had nothing to do with this. She doesn't even know we're meeting here."

Adrien placed a hand on Marinette's arm, causing the latter to blush. "Sabrina, why did you ask us to meet her?" he said.

Sabrina swallowed, holding her folder tightly in her hands. "Look... Marinette, Adrien, I know who you are."

To their credit, neither Marinette nor Adrien reacted with shock. Marinette's face was perfectly arranged into one of innocence as she spoke.

"I'm sorry?" she said. "Sabrina, I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Adrien nodded in agreement. "Sabrina, what're you talking about?"

"I know you're Ladybug and Chat Noir." Sabrina blurted.

That got a shocked expression out of both of them. Marinette shot Adrien a furtive glance, her cheeks tinting pink. Adrien's eyes immediately fell on the silver ring on his hand, which he began to twist nervously.

Finally, Marinette let out an awkward laugh. "Sabrina, you must be confused. I can't possibly be Ladybug."

Sabrina pressed her lips tightly together, and handed the folder to them. Both Marinette and Adrien flipped through the folder, both their faces becoming paler as they saw the numerous notes and pictures Sabrina had taken. Adrien spoke up again as they finished looking through the photo.

"That's all a coincidence," he said, his voice quivering slightly. "Doppelgangers do exist you know."

"Neither of you have doppelgangers," Sabrina said firmly. "I have videos."

She held up her USB stick. If possible, both Adrien and Marinette grew even paler.

"Fine," Marinette said, her voice quivering. "You've got me Sabrina. I'm Ladybug. You can't tell anyone about this. If word gets out, Hawkmoth- Hawkmoth will-"

"I'm not telling anyone," Sabrina said, her voice growing softer. "Don't worry. This is the only copy of the video I have."

"Marinette, you're Ladybug?" Adrien said. "I had no idea."

Wait, what? Marinette and Adrien didn't know each other's identities?

"Well, it's about time," drawled a voice from inside Adrien's shirt pocket. A small, black cat flew out. "Took you two long enough to figure out each other's identities."

"Plagg!" Adrien yelled, trying to grab the small cat. 'Plagg' soared out of his reach, cackling the entire time.

"You're Chat Noir," Marinette said. "I've been fighting alongside my crush this entire time."

She collapsed onto a nearby chair, looking ready to pass out. Tikki flew out of her purse, and Adrien's eyes became wide. Sabrina herself didn't know what to say.

"...I thought you two knew who each other were." Sabrina finally said.

"We didn't." said both Marinette and Adrien at the same time. They glanced at each other, and blushed.

"This is a whole lot to take in," Marinette said. "I'm not sure how to handle this."

"I'm sure we can figure it out together." Adrien said.

Tikki sighed. "We should probably find Master Fu."

"Master who?" Sabrina said.

"Master Fu," Plagg repeated. "The Guardian of the Miraculous. We're in for an overdue discussion. You're coming too, Red."

"Me?" Sabrina squeaked.

"Yes, you," Tikki said. "Master Fu needs to know about this development."

"Right," Marinette said, finally composing herself. "Adrien, Sabrina. Let's head to Master Fu."

As she got up, she brushed against Adrien. Both of them turned red again. Sabrina let out an inward sigh. Was this going to be the new norm?

* * *

Sabrina quickly discovered that the Master was an old, yet kindly man.

Upon opening the door, Master Fu's eyes widened a modicum upon seeing Marinette and Adrien together. His brow furrowed when he saw Sabrina.

"Master Fu, we need to talk." Marinette said. "Something unexpected has happened."

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste, come right in," Master Fu said. He turned to Sabrina. "You are...?"

"Sabrina Raincomprix sir." Sabrina replied, straightening her posture. "It's good to meet you."

Master Fu gestured all of them in, and they took a seat on the carpet. Tikki and Plagg both flew out, greeting Master Fu. Fu himself brewed all of them a cup of tea, and sat down. He gave Marinette a serious look.

"Marinette, how did your identity get exposed?" he said.

"It was all my fault Fu," Sabrina said. "I saw Marinette transform one day while in the bathroom. I saw Adrien later at a modeling gig."

Fu raised an eyebrow. "I see. Once Miraculous Holders are exposed, they usually have to give up their Miraculous."

Sabrina's body went cold. "Oh. It wasn't their fault Master Fu! It was because of me they were exposed!"

"That doesn't change the fact that a civilian now knows Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities," Fu said. He shot a glance at Adrien and Marinette. "Now both of them know who each other are as well."

"Master Fu, she was unaware that we didn't know each other's identities," Adrien said. "If someone has to give up their Miraculous, I'll do it. Paris needs a Ladybug."

"They need a Chat Noir too!" Marinette protested. "I knew the ramifications of what would happen should my identity be exposed, yet I was reckless. I'll give up my earrings."

"No, I'll do," Adrien argued. "Marinette, you're a far better hero than I am, and you're training to be Guardian. It'll be easier to replace me and wipe my memories."

"But-" Marinette said.

She was cut off by Master Fu raising his hand. "Marinette, Adrien. You're both far too valuable to be replaced. To introduce a new Ladybug or Cat now would give Hawkmoth the edge he needs to win."

"Oh."

"Yes," Master Fu said. "I chose both of you for a reason. Finding a new Ladybug and Cat would be counterproductive. Who knows, perhaps knowing each other's identities will aid us in the long run. For the time being, there is a more pressing issue."

He turned his eyes on Sabrina, and she squirmed under his gaze.

"Sabrina, you've discovered Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities," Fu said. "You are a very dangerous person at the moment. I should wipe your memories."

Sabrina nodded. "That makes sense."

"However," Fu continued, standing up. He walked over to the gramophone in the corner. "There's another solution. You've proven yourself excellent at hiding in the shadows and collecting information."

To Sabrina's surprise, the gramophone folded in on itself to reveal a giant case of Miraculous. There were the once Sabrina had seen in use, and almost a dozen ones she hadn't seen before. Fu grabbed a bracelet, and closed the box. He placed it gently into Sabrina's hand.

"In exchange for remaining quiet about Ladybug and Chat Noir, I offer you the Tiger Miraculous," Fu said. "With Roaar's power, you can become invisible. Seeing your skills, I ask you to discover who Hawkmoth is."

"I see," Sabrina stuttered, slipping the bracelet onto her waist. Immediately, a small, magenta kwami flew out, covered in purple stripes. "Hello Roaar."

"Nice to meet ya!" Roaar said. "You must be my new Holder!"

"My name is Sabrina Raincomprix," Sabrina replied, her voice shaking. "It's good to meet you. This is all so unexpected."

Fu nodded. "How about you go acquaint yourself with Roaar Sabrina? I'd like to speak to both Adrien and Marinette."

Sabrina nodded, just remembering that Adrien and Marinette were both there, watching in silence the whole time. She got her feet, bowing to Master Fu.

"Thank you for the Miraculous sir!" she said. "I promise to take good care of it!"

Roaar flew into the pocket of her skirt, and Sabrina prepared to take her leave when Adrien spoke.

"Sabrina, we'll see in school tomorrow." he said, his face kind.

"Right." Sabrina replied. "See you both later."

With that, she left, gently closing the door behind her.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this entirely on a whim last night, when I likely should've been working on WM or Paragon. But hey, the idea just came to mind, and I was inspired. There'll likely be more to this added someday (knowing me it'll be anywhere from three days from now to three months), as I do want to explore more of this AU. But in the meantime, enjoy the first part of Violet Lynx!
> 
> \- Book Mage


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